Aristotle’s Theories

In book III of Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle presents the audience with theories to explain why individuals do things that they do. Although several theories have been offered to depict such actions, Aristotle believes his theory of responsibility gives a clear and accurate representation about whether or not an individual is responsible for his or her actions. Though Aristotle rejected his first theory of responsibility, which stated that a person is responsible for his or her voluntary actions only, his new theory that said that a person may be responsible for his or her not voluntary actions was accepted by many. To portray this theory in his text, Aristotle gives examples and supports this theory with other theories, such as the theories of character acquisition and action, to explain how actions form a person’s character and what actions are voluntary or not voluntary. Because there are some that critique and objection to Aristotle’s responsibility theory, it is important ...